Growth
by CheerfulChemist
Summary: This story starts almost immediately after Get A Clue. It is AU for reasons that will become obvious, but for now I'll just say, bye bye Pi. As usual, I own nothing. Follow me on twitter @CheerfulChemist.
1. Chapter 1

Growth

Beckett let herself into the loft to find Castle sitting in semi-darkness on the couch, scotch in hand. "It didn't go well with Alexis?" she asked.

"You have a gift for understatement," Castle replied. "She wouldn't accept my apology. She wouldn't even accept make-up ice cream."

Beckett snuggled up next to him and put her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Castle, but you've been putting Pi down for a while and she loves him, or thinks she does. I can understand why she'd resent it and I think you can too."

"She also resented that I didn't tell her I was proposing to you, but seemed to think that I shouldn't have minded that she didn't tell me she was bringing home a boyfriend."

"Castle, of all people, you should know that feelings don't necessarily make sense." Beckett brushed his hair off his forehead and kissed him softly. "Consider us."

Putting his glass down, Castle pulled Beckett into his lap. "That's all I want to consider right now," he said, bringing his lips to hers. As Castle slipped his arms under her, Beckett wrapped her arms around his neck so that he could carry her to the bed. Castle drew his comfort from the taste of her lips, her chin, and the sensitive skin in the gap in her blouse as he pulled it aside. Beckett rose to meet him, pulling at the buttons on his shirt. The clothes fell to the floor as they were skin to skin. Fisting his fingers in her hair, feasting on her, he drew her closer, until they came together in a desperate joining. Finally sated, they lay entangled in sheets and each other.

As the sun was rising, Beckett's pants buzzed. Regretfully disentangling herself, Beckett got out of bed to retrieve her cell phone. It was Esposito. A body had dropped in a public garden.

Beckett and Castle met Esposito. Ryan was taking a statement from a visibly shaken young woman in overalls. Esposito inclined his head toward Ryan. "Lady over there found the body when she came to do her early morning gardening. She didn't touch it, just called 911. She doesn't know who it is. I have unis canvassing to find out if anyone saw something."

Lainie had not yet arrived, so they examined the scene as best they could without disturbing the body, which lay face down in the dirt. It looked as if his head had been bashed in with a shovel lying nearby.

"Truly a man of the soil," Castle quipped to an eye roll from Beckett.

Lainie finally arrived, took her pictures and asked Esposito to help her turn over the body. Castle and Beckett looked down in shock. It was Pi.

Castle drew his hands over his face. "Alexis! I have to tell Alexis. How do I do that?"

Beckett took his arm. "I'll go with you."

Though Castle had driven his BMW to the scene, Beckett took the wheel for the trip to Alexis' and Pi's apartment near Columbia. A distraught Castle sat beside her. After making their way up the stairs, Castle knocked on the door.

Alexis opened it and stared at them. "Dad," she said. I don't want to talk to you. It's too soon." She started to close the door and Beckett pushed on it saying, "Alexis wait, we really need to talk to you."

Catching the seriousness of Beckett's tone, Alexis opened the door. "Honey," Castle said, "you need to sit down. Alexis sat in one of the chairs she and Pi had lovingly retrieved from a dumpster. Beckett and Castle drew up two more chairs and sat opposite her and Castle took her hands. Alexis pulled them back, but he took them again. "Alexis, Beckett and I had a body at a public garden downtown. There is just no easy way to say this. It was Pi, honey. He's dead."

Alexis jumped up, her blue eyes flashing in anger. "Dad, what is this, some kind of twisted Halloween prank? That has got to be about the worst joke you've ever pulled. Get out of here!"

Castle put his arms around her even as she struggled against him. "Alexis, it's not a joke. You know I can be an immature jackass, but I've never been cruel. I'm sorry pumpkin, but I'm telling you the truth."

Alexis looked up into her father's sapphire eyes, now brimming with tears, and at the stricken look on Beckett's face and broke down sobbing against Castle's chest. He picked her up as he had when she was a little girl and sat in one of the dumpster treasures, rocking her in his arms.

When the sobs subsided, Beckett slipped into her professional mode. "Alexis, is there anyone we should call, anyone we need to notify?"

Alexis shook her head. "Pi's parents are gathering plants in the Amazon. They're unreachable until they check in. That won't be for at least a couple of days. His sister is in Africa somewhere, I'm not sure where. His parents would know. I don't know what to do now."

Castle hugged her to him. "We'll take care of it together and Beckett and I will get whoever did this. I promise."

Alexis looked around the apartment, which seemed to scream Pi's absence. "Dad," she asked, "can I come home with you?"

Castle kissed her hair. "Always."

Castle took Alexis up to her room in the loft and tucked her into bed. She hung on for dear life to Monkey Bunkey and after a few minutes drifted off to sleep. Beckett met him at the bottom of the stairs with a glass of scotch, which he accepted gratefully.

Castle propped himself against the end of the couch with his feet up on a stool and Beckett lying against him. "I'll admit there have been times when I've thought about it, but who'd want to kill Pi? He was a bee counter. He ate fruit."

"I don't know Castle, but we're going to find out," Beckett told him, getting to her feet.

"I'm going to call Mother at the school to see if she can stay with Alexis. When she gets here, I'll join you," Castle said.

"OK, call me, and I'll let you know where I am," Beckett told him. "Or just call if you need me."

Castle stood and kissed her. 'I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Beckett met Lainie at the morgue. "How's Alexis doing?" Lainie asked.

"She's grieving," Beckett said. "Castle is with her. I don't know which one of them is doing worse."

"I have a time of death," Lainie told Beckett. "He died between five and seven this morning. Does Castle have an alibi?"

Beckett smiled. "I have personal knowledge of his whereabouts."

"I bet you do," Lainie smirked. "Pi was killed with the shovel that the boys found. There weren't any prints.

"Well that would have been too easy," Beckett commented.

"Javi did say something about footprints," Lainie said. "You should talk to him."

"I will Lainie, thanks."

Beckett caught up with Esposito and Ryan at the 12th. They filled in the time of death and the weapon on the murder board. Esposito also wrote in size twelve shoes. There was no pattern distinct enough to identify the brand. Pi had his work ID for the Department of Agriculture on his belt. There was no contact information on Pi's ID, but they they did find his cell phone. There was a number on it labeled "boss." Beckett looked at the number and gave a tight smile. "That won't help. That's Alexis' cell phone. Check the other numbers and see what you get."

Martha came through the door of the loft and embraced Castle. "Oh Richard! How is our girl doing?"

"She's asleep," but we'll have to ask her some questions sooner or later. "She's probably the only one who really knows what Pi was up to. I wish I could protect her from all of it".

"She's strong," Martha reassured him. 'She got through Paris, she'll get through this. You go help Beckett."

Castle called Beckett, who told him that she was on the way to an office of the USDA. The boys had found the number for Pi's supervisor on his cell and she was going to find out what he knew. She offered to pick Castle up on her way.

Justin Bright, Pi's supervisor was a serious young man who seemed very upset at the news. He was able to tell them that Pi was tracking bees and pollination in a number of gardens around Manhattan. Pi had taken soil samples for analysis from some of them, but he didn't know what Pi expected to find. He promised to let Beckett know when the lab results came back.

As Beckett and Castle were getting back in the car, Ryan called. The canvas around the garden had turned up a possible witness, who was waiting at the 12th. Beckett and Castle met with Mildred Marshall in the interview lounge. She was tiny, with white hair, but her blue eyes twinkled and she was sharp as a tack. While taking her daily early morning walk she had seen a man walking away from the garden.

Beckett asked Mildred, "Can you describe him?"

"Of course! He was a Caucasian, about six two. He had a Mets cap on but the hair sticking out from under it was brown. He had sunglasses on, so I couldn't see eye color."

"Ms. Marshall, "Did you see any tattoos or scars?"

Mildred looked offended. "If he had, I would have mentioned it. He was wearing long sleeves."

Mildred was calmed by the Castle smile. "Ms. Marshall," he began.

"Millie," she said with just a hint of a flirt.

"Millie," Castle continued. "I'm really impressed. We've had hundreds of witnesses in here and almost none of them do as well as you did."

Mildred preened, running a hand through her white locks. "My pleasure Mr. Castle."

"Ms. Marshall, we're going to put you with a sketch artist," Beckett told her.

"Anything I can do to help," Mildred told her and followed Beckett out, looking over her shoulder to smile at Castle.

After Beckett got Mildred settled working with the artist on a sketch, she joined Castle, who was in her chair by his desk, I-phone in hand.

"Checking on Alexis, Castle?" she asked.

Castle shook his head. "Researching bees. I though I might find a clue to what Pi was doing."

"Anything?" Beckett asked.

"Not yet, I just started."  
"Look Castle," Beckett said, "that would probably be easier on your laptop. Why don't you go back to the loft and be with Alexis? I'll call you if I get anything and meet you there when we knock off."

"That actually sounds like a good idea," Castle agreed. "I'll catch a cab and see you later."

Castle unlocked the door to the loft as quietly as he could. Martha was sitting on the couch reading through a script. "Alexis?" Castle asked softly.

"Not a word." Martha told him. "I checked on her a couple of times. She was asleep."

"I suppose that's just as well," Castle said. "I'm just going to look in on her."

Castle made his way up the stairs and sat looking at Alexis, as he had so many times before. She still held tightly to Monkey Bunkey and Castle wished that a cuddly animal would be all it would take to make her feel better, but he knew that it would take a lot more. After about fifteen minutes, he made his way to his office and flipped open his laptop. If there was anything he was good at, it was research.

Beckett put a copy of the sketch of the man that Mildred had seen up on the murder board. "Ryan, can you show a copy of this to Jennifer Berkley?" she asked, reading the name of the woman who found the body from the board. "Maybe she's seen him around before."

"Beckett, can I do that in the morning?" Ryan asked "Jenny and I have a Lamaze class."

"Sure," Beckett told him looking at her father's watch. "It's probably too late to catch Justin Bright at his office to show it to him. Let's knock off and start another canvas of the area around the garden with the sketch, first thing in the morning."

Returning to the loft, Beckett found Castle leaning over his laptop, rubbing his eyes. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and kissed his temple. "How are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm feeling guilty," Castle told her. "Have you ever heard of colony collapse disorder?" he asked.

"No," Beckett answered. "Why?"

"Bees are dying all over the world. What Pi was doing wasn't as stupid as I thought, at least not about bees. I shouldn't have been so hard on him."

"You might want to tell Alexis that," Beckett told him. "How is she doing?"

"She's been asleep in her room. I wish I could keep her that way for a while."

Beckett drew him out of his chair and kissed his lips. Castle pulled her tightly against his body, hungrily kissing her neck and moving down as he opened her shirt. Taking his face in her hands, Beckett placed kisses on the corners of his mouth, his chin, and finally his lips. Then reaching for his hand, she led him into the bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Castle had left the doors to his office and bedroom open, so that he could hear with a father's ears if there was any sound from Alexis. Around 5 A.M. He heard quiet crying and found Alexis sitting at the kitchen counter with her laptop, one of the few things they had brought from her apartment besides Monkey Bunkey. As she was looking through the pictures she and Pi had taken in Costa Rica, Pi's smiling face beamed from a background of banana trees. Castle stroked her hair, now uncharacteristically tangled. "Do you want to talk?" he asked.

"I'm not sure you want to hear, Dad. You didn't before."

"I'm sorry Alexis. I'm listening now."

"Pi wasn't just about eating fruit, Dad. He really wanted to make the world a better place. That's why he did the work he was doing. We need the bees to pollinate our crops and the bees are dying. He wanted to figure out what was going on so he could fix it."

"I know, I'm too late and I'm sorry," Castle told her. "but I have been doing research on bees. I had no idea what he was working on. I should have been more interested. I can't take that back, but if there is anything you can tell me about his work that might have anything to do with who killed him, I need to know and so does Beckett."

"I don't know if it will help, but I'll tell you what I can."

Castle went to get Beckett and they sat down to listen to Alexis together. "Pi was checking on a number of public gardens in the city, looking at bee populations. He told me that there were some where the number of bees was really down and he was trying to determine the cause. I know he took some soil samples."

"Yes," Beckett agreed, "his supervisor, Justin Bright, told us that, but he didn't know what Pi was looking for."

"Pi said something to me about systemic absorption of pesticides. He said the plants would draw some pesticides up from the soil and the bees would get it from taking nectar from the plants but he said he was just guessing, that there were lots of possible causes. That's why he needed the soil samples."

Beckett put a hand on Alexis' shoulder. "We will look into all," Beckett told her. "Justin Bright will call me when the lab results come back and maybe you can help us figure this out."

There was a tiny upturn at one corner of Alexis' mouth. "I'd like that."

Castle went to the kitchen to start batter for smiley face pancakes. Since the batter needed to sit and thicken for a while to make perfect shapes, Castle used the time to shower. Just as the warm water began to cascade over his body, Beckett joined him. "Can I was your back, Castle?" she purred.

Castle showed her a drop of batter that had splashed through the V of his t-shirt. "I think I need more help on the front."

Beckett licked at the drop of batter and searched for more, kissing away drops of water from the broad expanse of his chest. With a hand under her chin, Castle lifted her lips to his searching mouth. The hot water poured over their bodies as they came together, ever closer, until more heat rose from their bodies than streamed toward the drain. As they leaned nearly boneless, arms around each other for support, Castle reached up to adjust the flow for a more cooling spray. Restored, they dried each other off and dressed.

Castle made his trademark pancakes and crispy turkey bacon while Beckett made coffee. Martha came down from her room and joined them. Alexis left most of her food on her plate but she was able to manage a few bites. Uncharacteristically, Castle cleaned up without a word and he and Beckett went to the 12th, leaving Alexis in Martha's care.

Beckett e-mailed a copy of the sketch of the man Mildred Marshall had had seen coming from the garden to Justin Bright and Ryan went to show one to Jennifer Berkley, who had found the body. Lainie called Beckett from the morgue, saying that she had more information on Pi's body, so Beckett and Castle went to see her.

"How's the baby?" Lainie asked as Castle and Beckett walked in.

"Better," Castle told her. "She was able to talk to us this morning. She thought Pi might have been looking for insecticides."

"Well he found them," Lainie said. "The dirt that was on his face was full of them."

"Any that might kill bees?" Castle asked.

"Honey, I'm no entomologist, but I will e-mail you a list."

"Thanks, Lainie," Beckett said.

"You tell that girl that I love her," Lainie told Castle.

"I will, Lainie," he replied. "Thanks."

Ryan called, saying that Jennifer Berkley thought she recalled seeing the man in the sketch several times around the garden, but that she didn't know who he was. Beckett also got an e-mail from Justin Bright saying that he might know who the man was, but he wasn't sure. Armed with Lainie's insecticide list, Beckett and Castle decided that Bright deserved another visit.

Beckett and Castle met with Bright at around eleven A.M. He told them that he thought that the suspect might be Mitch McGregor, a representative from a chemical company called Montstrose, which sells seeds, insecticides and herbicides.

"Why would they do that?" Castle asked.

"They sell the chemicals and then they sell seeds that are immune to their effects. They patent the seeds and the chemicals. The farmers using them have a better yield than those that don't. If they want to make a profit, the farmers have to buy Montstrose's products. Montstrose also tests the fields of farmers to see if their seeds are being used. If they are, even if the seeds just blew over from a neighbor's field, Montstrose sues the farmers for patent infringement, putting them out of business. It's a nasty little racket."

"Why is that legal?" Castle asked.

Bright grimaced. "You'd have to take that up with Congress. Montstrose has a great lobby.

Beckett showed Bright a printout of Lainie's list. "Any of these from Montstrose that would they kill bees?"

Bright took a highlighter and marked several. "These are from a category of insecticides called neonicotinoids. They are absorbed from the soil by the plants. The bees ingest them by gathering the nectar."

Beckett and Castle thanked Bright and returned to Beckett's vehicle. "Beckett," Castle exclaimed. "This is just what I read about in my research. There is a lot of scientific thought that some nicotinoids contribute to colony collapse disorder - killing bees. They've been banned in France, but they're legal in this country. Why would somebody commit murder over a legal chemical, no matter how bad it is?"

"Let's find Mitch McGregor and ask him," Beckett replied. Beckett called Esposito and asked him to find everything he could on a Mitch McGregor working for Montstrose. Castle and Beckett returned to the 12th with Chinese food for themselves, Ryan and Esposito, to find that Esposito had the file all ready. The four of them took the food and the file to the conference room to eat while they worked. There was a photo from the DMV that was a fair match for the sketch. Esposito had already put a copy of it on the murder board. Phone and financial records showed nothing unusual except that McGregor did seem to do a lot of traveling.

They had both work and home addresses for McGregor. "Go pick him up," Beckett told Ryan and Esposito. The two detectives arrived back at the 12th an hour later with McGregor in tow. Beckett and Castle sat across from McGregor in interrogation.

"Mr McGregor," Beckett started. Where were you between five and seven yesterday morning?"

"What's all this about?" McGregor asked.

"Just answer the question," Beckett told him.

"I got up around five, I was at a public garden in Tribeca around five forty-five and the I went uptown to a garden in Harlem. I left there around seven."

"How do you know the times so exactly?" Castle asked suspiciously.

"I was taking plant samples. I label them with date, time and place."

"Why would you do that?" Castle inquired further.

"Because people use Montstrose see without paying for it. We take samples for DNA analysis to stop them. That's part of my job."

"Did you see this man?" Beckett asked showing McGregor a picture of Pi.

"I've seen him around," McGregor answered. "He works for the USDA. But I didn't see him yesterday."

"He's dead, Mr. McGregor. He was murdered in that garden in Tribeca sometime between five and seven yesterday morning, when you were there." Beckett told him.

McGregor looked shocked. "Well I didn't kill him. He was a nice kid, tree hugger, but a nice kid. I'd like to call a lawyer now."

Beckett let McGregor take his phone call and Ryan and Esposito delivered him to holding.

Castle and Beckett returned to the loft with Alexis' favorite pizza. Alexis nibbled around the edges of a slice while Castle told her about McGregor and Montstrose. Alexis knew all about Montstrose and what the company was doing. Apparently it was a frequent topic of conversation with Pi.

"Do you think McGregor did it?" Alexis asked Beckett.

"I don't know, Alexis, but right now he's our best suspect."

Alexis returned to her room and Castle and Beckett took glasses of red wine to the bedroom. "Did you see her eyes?" Castle said. "I've never seen that look in her eyes. There's no spark, no glow. It tears my guts out."

Beckett took Castle's glass from his hand and put it on the bedside table alongside hers and pulled his head down into her lap.

Stroking his hair she soothed, "It'll get better when she gets some justice. I'll help her. We'll help her."

Castle reached up, putting his hands on either side of Beckett's head and brought her lips to his. "You help me," he murmured.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The light coming through the windows of the loft was reddish pink, hinting of a beautiful sunrise but a rainy day. Beckett looked as the color washed over Castle's face, so calm in sleep, creating highlights in his hair. She couldn't resist brushing her fingertips where the rays touched. Castle stirred under her hand, reaching up to find her face. They explored each other, quietly at first, touching each other gently. Beckett kissed his eyelids, eager to see the deep blue beneath. His eyes opened under the gentle illumination. As the light grew in intensity, so did their explorations, with lips finding lips and bodies drawn ever more tightly against each other until there was no more separation. Excitement rose with the sun, until it reached its zenith and Beckett lay in Castle's arms.

The silence was not to last. The whir of the blender penetrated from the kitchen. Castle pulled on shorts and t-shirt to see what was going on. Alexis looked at Castle from behind a container of green glop. "I was making a smoothie," she explained. "It makes me feel closer to..."

Castle put his arms around Alexis and kissed the top of her head. "I understand," he told her.

By the time Castle and Beckett had showered and dressed, drops were already hitting the windows of the loft. As they brought their lattes to Castle's BMV, rain was falling in sheets and the streets were a mess. Harried New Yorkers took cover in doorways, looking for cabs that seemed to have magically disappeared. As unpleasant as the drive was, Castle was grateful for the car. He was less grateful when he tried to find parking near the 12th, but he and Beckett finally made it in.

McGregor was still in holding, but apparently not for long. He had called the corporate counsel for Montstrose and paperwork had been filed for his release. Beckett couldn't question him further.

Beckett picked up the phone at her desk. It was Lainie, asking Beckett and Castle to come to the morgue. Barely dry, it was back into the rain.

At the morgue, Beckett and Castle were met not just by Lainie, but by Dr. Murray, who Castle had nicknamed "Dr. Death." "I asked Dr. Murray to consult because when you told me your suspect is six two, something looked off about the angle Pi was hit. He can explain."

Dr. Murray picked up the narration. "If Pi was hit by a six foot two suspect, the blow should have come from above. It didn't, it angled upward. Your killer was shorter than your victim."

Beckett and Castle looked at each other. Beckett shook her head. "McGregor couldn't have done it."

Back at the 12th, Castle and Beckett stood staring at the murder board. McGregor's picture had been taken out of the suspect column and there was nothing to replace it. Their consternation was interrupted by a call from Justin Bright. He had the lab results and was willing to go over them with Beckett and Castle.

Once again, Beckett and Castle arrived at the USDA. Bright laid out printouts of lab analyses on a table in the conference room. He pointed to a sheet. "This is the analysis of the sample Pi took from the garden in Tribeca where he … where you found him. There are neonicotinoids and several other types of pesticides as well. These are samples from other gardens in the city. As you can see, some of them show similar levels of various pesticides. These two," Bright said, pointing to a couple of printouts, "have none within our set detection limits."

"What does that mean?" Castle asked.

"It means that we set limits at parts per billion or parts per trillion. The lab may actually see something, but if it is lower than those limits, it is reported as not detected."

"So something might actually be there and not show up on a lab report?" Castle asked.

"That's right," Bright confirmed.

Castle was perplexed. "Why/"

"Technology moves faster than rules about detection limits are approved. By the time a rule is approved, technology is out ahead of it. Bureaucracy is slower than science. It does make our job harder, because sometimes very low levels of some things can have profound effects."

Castle sighed. The day was becoming more depressing by the moment. Beckett took up the questioning. "The samples that show no pesticides, why would that be?"

"Some gardens are devoted to organic gardening. They wouldn't use pesticides, just natural method of pest control like picking off insects by hand or application of coffee grounds. Sometimes their excess produce is sold to high end restaurants. Some people can actually pick up a fair amount of money that way," Bright explained.

Before they left, Castle asked one more question, "Which garden had the fewest bees?"

"The one where Pi was found," Bright answered.

Castle nodded. "I thought so."

Castle closed his door on the passenger side of Beckett's vehicle with a slam. "What's the matter, Castle?" Beckett asked.

"We have nothing! We have lab results that may not show what's there and probably don't mean anything even if they did. We already knew there were pesticides in that garden from Lainie. We have no suspect. We're at square one!" Castle pounded a fist against the door of the car in frustration."

"Castle," Beckett soothed. "We just need to come at this from a different angle."

"What angle?"

"The angle Pi was hit. We need to find short people who were around that garden."

As Beckett drove, Castle went to work on his I-phone. He found that registration was necessary to use the garden in Tribeca. There was no list of gardeners online, but there was contact information for the administrator. As soon as they arrived at the 12th Beckett called the administrator and arranged for the list of names to be e-mailed to her. Ryan ran them through the DMV to sort for height. There were four suspects: Jose Guttierez, Julie Jurgen, Mickey Perry, and Jennifer Berkley, who Ryan had already interviewed.

Castle and Beckett went to see Jose Guttierez. Guttierez was at his workplace as a dishwasher and general helper. "Yeah, I use the garden. Working here, I'm not going to make enough money to get any fresh produce any other way. What about it?"

Beckett showed Guttierez a picture of Pi. "You ever meet him?"

Guttierez looked at the picture for a moment. "I did. That's Pi. He's been around the garden, even gave me some tips about getting my plants to grow better. Nice guy."

"He was." Beckett told him. "He's dead."

Guttierez looked genuinely shocked. "What happened?" he asked.

"Someone hit him with a shovel, someone about your height. Where were you from five to seven A.M. Monday morning?"

"Right here, doing prep, same as every morning."

"Anyone see you?"

"Everyone who works in the kitchen. Look Detective, I'm really sorry Pi is dead, but I had nothing to do with it."

After talking to several other members of the kitchen staff, Beckett confirmed Guttierez's alibi.

Beckett rotated her shoulders and stretched her neck on the way back to the car. Castle reached down to give her a quick massage. "Look Beckett, you're tired and we should go back to the loft and update Alexis. She might even have something useful. I can pick up my car tomorrow."

Beckett shrugged off Castle' s hands. "All right, Castle, let's go."

Castle and Beckett picked up Thai food on the way to the loft and fed themselves, Martha, and Alexis as well as possible.

Alexis was anxious for any details about the case, paying close attention as Castle told her about the lab results, expressing his disappointment.

"Dad," she told him. "Pi knew about the problems with detection limits and he wanted to look at some things the USDA didn't. He had a friend with a lab that he sent things to. The results were sent to his phone. Where is it?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Beckett wanted a bath and it was only 5 A.M., so she had the time. Grabbing her copy of "Deadly Heat," she padded to the bathroom, lit the candles around the tub and began to run a bubble bath. While the huge tub filled, she put her gently waving hair up in a clip. Beckett was lounging comfortably when Castle arrived and lifted the book from her hands. "Why read the fictional version when you can have the real thing?" he asked, climbing in with her.

Castle immediately dipped a bath sponge into the water and squeezed a trickle of bubbles across Beckett's breasts. In response, Beckett cupped her hands, playfully splashing bubbles up Castle's chest. Trailing a finger across her face, Castle drew bubble eyebrows and a bubble beard on her face. Beckett responded by putting a bubble mustache on him. Laughing and scooping up handfuls of bubbles, they covered each other in white. Finally, Castle grabbed the spray accessory to wash the bubbles away, the force of the water pelting sensitive areas and turning playfulness to arousal. Slick skin sliding against slick skin, they came together as bubbly water sloshed to the floor. Finally, wrinkle-skinned but satisfied, they climbed out of the tub to the now very wet floor. Wrapping towels around themselves, they spread the rest of the towels from the rack on the floor to sop up the mess. While they were waiting for the water to be absorbed, they got dressed.

Bringing a pile of wet towels to load in the washer, Castle and Beckett found Alexis dressed and ready in the kitchen. She had made a smoothie for herself and started coffee. As Beckett and Castle gratefully reached for coffee, Alexis announced that she wanted to go to the 12th with them. "You may need me to interpret what's on Pi's phone," she said, "besides I really need to help."

Castle and Beckett looked at each other. "She has a point, Castle," Beckett said. "She'd probably understand what Pi was up to better than anyone. Your car's at the precinct. You can always bring her back later."

Castle put an arm around Alexis' shoulders and drew her against his side. "Let's go, Pumpkin."

Alexis got shotgun as Castle was relegated to the backseat while Beckett expertly wove through rush hour traffic and arrived at the 12th in record time. The trio went straight to evidence to retrieve Pi's phone, taking it to the break room where they could gather around a table. The battery had lost its charge, so Beckett went to tech to scrounge a cord that they could plug into a nearby outlet. As soon as there were sufficient bars, e-mail began to appear, including a lab report. Alexis studied it intently. "Detective Beckett," she asked, "Do you have copies of the lab reports from the USDA? I'd like to compare them to this."

"I do," Beckett replied. "I'll go get them."

Looking at the stack of paper, Alexis said "This is going to take a while. Could I take these home … back to the loft?"  
"I can't let you take evidence out of the building, but you can work here as long as you like."

Alexis looked doubtful. "Dad takes evidence home all the time."

"Alexis, I know that you understand chain of custody from working with Lainie. Castle only takes pictures of evidence home. Half the time the time he isn't supposed to do that either, but unless I put cuffs on him, I can't stop him and I need my cuffs for real criminals. The phone stays here. You can let Ryan or Esposito know if you need anything. Your dad and I have witnesses to interview."

Castle put a hand on Beckett's arm hissing "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Outside the door of the break room Castle whispered to Beckett, "Ryan and Esposito could do those interviews. We could stay with Alexis."

"Castle, Alexis needs to do this without you looking over her shoulder. Believe me, helping to solve this case will help her, so stop hovering and let her do it."

Looking around to see that they were unobserved, Castle gave Beckett a short but thorough kiss. "Thanks."

Castle and Beckett found Julie Jurgen at a food pantry, packing weekly supplies for food insecure families. Looking at the picture of Pi, Julie said, "I've seen him a few times when I've been at the garden in the morning, but mostly I'm there in the late afternoon and I've never seen him then. He does have a genius for finding good deals on fruit. That has been helpful to the pantry. Why do you need to know?"

Castle felt pangs of guilt rising from his scorn of Pi's fruitarian status while Beckett gently broke the news of Pi's death to Julie. "I'm sorry Julie," Beckett said gently, "I need to know where you were from five to seven on Monday morning."

"I was packing up baked goods that went unused over the weekend at Bread Brothers to bring to the pantry. Ron Partridge is the manager there. You can can check with him. I hope you catch whoever did this."

"Thank you," Beckett told her.

When they got to the car, Beckett called Bread Brothers to check Julie's alibi. Ron Partridge confirmed that Julie had been there.

Mickey Perry ran a small business making and delivering specialty sandwiches to the denizens of some of the multitude of New York office buildings. He explained that he used the garden to grow tomatoes and lettuce that actually had some flavor to add to his sandwiches. Beckett showed him the picture of Pi. "I'm sorry," he said, "he doesn't look familiar. What's this about?"

Beckett ignored the question. "Mr. Perry, where were you between five and seven on Monday morning?"

"Where I am every weekday morning," Mickey answered, "baking bread for my sandwiches."

"Did anyone see you?" Beckett asked.

"This is a small operation, Detective. I was here by myself."

Beckett thanked Perry for his time and she and Castle left.

"How about if we pick up lunch and see if Alexis found anything?" Castle asked hopefully.

"OK Castle," Beckett agreed, "but only because I'm hungry."

Castle ordered burgers and shakes from Remy's, making sure that there was a strawberry shake for Beckett. He also picked up a fruit salad in case Alexis wanted it. Alexis greeted Beckett and Castle excitedly. I think I may have found something. She pointed from the phone to the USDA printouts. There are things that Pi's friend found. There are some levels of pesticides that don't show on the USDA reports. The two gardens that aren't supposed to have pesticides actually do, just at very low levels. Also, Pi ordered some DNA testing. There are results from the garden where he..." Beckett gave Alexis' hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm not sure what they mean," Alexis continued.

"We'll figure it out," Beckett told her, "but I'm starved. Do you want something to eat?"

"I think so," Alexis told her.

"I hate to say it," Castle said over lunch, "but the person who might know something about those DNA results is Mitch McGregor. He was taking samples for DNA testing in the garden."  
"That's true," Beckett agreed, "but he's behind a wall of Montstrose lawyers. It will take some work to get to him. Castle, why don't you take Alexis back to the loft and I'll stay to work on it. I want to get Ryan and Esposito to take a better look at Mickey Perry, too. He has a really soft alibi." Castle agreed with her plan.

Beckett let herself into the loft around seven P.M.. Castle was putting the finishing touches on Pasta Carbonara while Alexis worked on a salad. Martha made a great show of picking out the wine. "Did you get to Mitch McGregor?" Alexis asked.

"He'll probably have six lawyers with him," but we can meet with him at Montstrose corporate offices tomorrow."

"That's good," Alexis said.

Dinner was cleared away, Martha was crafting an experimental scene for her students in her room and Alexis was doing more work on her studies for Columbia. Castle had lit a fire against the autumn damp and he and Beckett watched the flames dance while cuddling on the couch. "Thank you," Castle said.

"For what?" Beckett asked.

"You were so right about letting Alexis work on the case. She really is doing better. Have I told you I love you?"

"Not tonight."

"Well," Castle said leaning in for a kiss, "I'll just have to fix that."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The shovel was descending, but the head it hit didn't sport dark curls, but red silk. Her body was on the ground, hands covered in dirt, hair plastered with mud. He looked down at her in horror, as the image retreated into a dark tunnel, the morning light becoming a crushing darkness that bore down on him, crushing his chest. He clawed at the darkness, struggling for air.

Beckett's eyes flew open as Castle sat up gasping. She pulled herself up, searching his face. "Castle, what's the matter?"

Castle struggled to take a cleansing breath. "I'm OK," he told her, "just a nightmare."

"You want to talk about it?"

"It was Pi's murder, but it wasn't Pi, it was Alexis. Oh God! His parents don't even know yet. I can't imagine..."

Beckett brushed the hair off his face and holding his face in her hands, laid a soothing kiss on his lips. Castle drew her closer, feeling her warmth ease the tightness in his chest. Propped against the headboard, he held her there until the buzzing of the cell alarm forced them to move. They showered and dressed almost without speaking, not wanting to disturb the calm.

Alexis was in the kitchen, taking sips now and again of a smoothie she had made for herself while producing one of Pi's youth promoting drinks for Martha. "Alexis," Castle asked softly. "How did Pi's parents check in with him?"

"There are some places in that area with satellite hook-ups. When they get somewhere where they can get a signal, they send a text or an e-mail to his phone - Oh no! There was nothing on there yesterday, I checked. But something could come in anytime and his phone is locked up at the 12th!"

"It's all right," Beckett told her. "I set Pi's e-mails to forward to me. I needed to print out the lab report. I want to show the DNA results to McGregor when your dad and I meet with him this morning. So I'll know if anything comes in from Pi's parents. If it does, I'll let you know immediately."

Alexis threw her arms around Beckett and gave her a hug. "Thank you."

Beckett and Castle stopped at the 12th before the meeting at Montstrose. Beckett wanted pick up her paperwork and check with Ryan and Esposito. "Ryan, when you got a statement from Jennifer Berkley, did she tell you where she was from five to seven on Monday morning?"

"I didn't have a reason to ask," Ryan said. "At the time, we didn't have a time of death."

"You should do it now," Beckett told him, "she's on our suspect list and we need to know if she has an alibi.

"Espo," Beckett called.

"Yo," the detective answered.

"Can you check on Mickey Perry, see if there's any reason he might want Pi dead?

"As you wish," Esposito agreed, drawing a strange look from Castle.

"Are you coming, Castle?" Beckett called. Castle hurried after her, unable to see a smirking Esposito.

Beckett had guessed pretty well about the number of lawyers with McGregor. There were five. "Mr. McGregor," she told him, "you are no longer a suspect, but we could use your help on this case. We have some DNA results from the Tribeca garden. Could you tell us if they look familiar?"

McGregor looked at one of the lawyers who nodded. McGregor reached a hand out toward Beckett who handed him a printout. After looking at it he said,"this looks very familiar. This is one of our plants. I recognize an allele for resistance to one of our herbicides. Also, I saw the exact same DNA from the samples I took there. Someone in that garden was using our seed."

"Can we get a list of you customers in the area?" Beckett asked.

McGregor looked at the lawyer again, who spoke directly at Beckett. "You may have it Detective Beckett," as soon as you bring us a court order.

As they were leaving the Montstrose building, Castle pulled out his I-phone. "Calling Alexis?" Beckett asked.

"Judge Markaway," Castle answered. "I want to get that list today. Damn! I'm getting voice mail. He's in court until five."

"We need to fill out the paperwork anyway," Castle. "Let's get it done and check in with Ryan and Esposito. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll have a recess."

Castle and Beckett arrived at the precinct with pizza. Over pepperoni, Esposito reported that Mickey Perry did spend his mornings baking bread and assembling sandwiches and that he had done his full route on the day of the murder. Ryan had been unable to talk to Jennifer Berkley but had left messages at her home and her work.

"Beckett, you want to go sit on Judge Markaway?" Castle asked.

"Oh no, Castle," Beckett laughed. "That's just too easy. Let's just go!"

Markaway emerged from his courtroom at four thirty and signed Beckett's paperwork, but by the time she and Beckett got to Montstrose, the corporate offices were closed for the day. Beckett and Castle resolved to be at the door when Montstrose opened again at nine A.M. and after calling Alexis to let her know they were coming, they headed for the loft.

Martha was at a theater event, but Alexis had started rice and cut up mounds of vegetables for a stir fry. Over dinner Castle and Beckett told Alexis what McGregor had told them about the DNA results and of their plans to pickup the customer list from Montstrose in the morning. Alexis seemed encouraged.

"Have you seen anything from Pi's parents?" Alexis asked Beckett.

"Not yet, but I'll keep checking for e-mail and I put in a really annoying ring tone for texts, so if anything comes in, I'll know."

"Thanks, Detective Beckett."

"Alexis, I wish you'd call me Kate."

Alexis nodded. "OK, Kate."

Castle and Beckett were tucked up in bed, Castle with his laptop researching agriculture, Beckett with a novel by James Patterson. "I can't believe you're reading Patterson," Castle told her. "If he finds out my fiancee is reading his books, I'll never live it down."

"Castle, I certainly won't tell him, so unless you do, it's between us."

"Mmmmm,'' Castle murmured, setting aside his laptop, "what else is between us?"

Beckett tossed her book to the floor. "Well Castle," she said, turning to face him and using her finger to draw patterns in the vee of his t-shirt, "we'll just have to find out."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Beckett opened her eyes to a grinning Castle tickling her ear. "Well you certainly are excited this morning," she said.

"It's serving court orders on large corporations. I love the smell of paper in the morning – it smells like..."

"Like someone needs a shower," Beckett interrupted. C'mon Castle, I'll scrub your back."

Castle followed her into the shower, whispering in her ear, "I'd rather have you wash my front. I'll wash yours if you wash mine."

Beckett laughed. "Deal!"

Beckett worked a bar of men's soap between her hands, trying to build a lather. Castle handed her a nylon puff and a spicy shower gel. "Use this," he told her.

"A puff Castle, really?" Beckett asked.

"That is not a puff," Castle protested. "It's a lather builder, a manly thing!"

"I see your manly thing," Beckett teased. "Keep your mind on the washing."

"Its not my mind that's a problem," Castle grumbled, running soapy fingers over Beckett's skin, while she scrubbed him. Castle finished by lathering Beckett's hair with cherry shampoo and inhaling the fragrance as he rinsed it with warm water. His lips followed the drops of water flowing down her neck and over her body. Beckett arched against him and he pulled her tightly against him, continuing to lap the water from her skin. Beckett applied her mouth to anything she could reach until their bodies became more heated than the water. Castle lifted Beckett as she wrapped her endless legs around his body, thrusting her fingers through his hair while moving in timeless rhythm. They drank more and more of each until they exploded with the heat and the steam blanketed them in mist as they came back to earth.

Anxious to get to Montstrose, Castle and Beckett hurried through drying off and dressing. Castle filled travel cups with rich, strong coffee and they were out the door and on their way. Beckett presented Judge Markaway's order which was perused by several lawyers. Finally Beckett was given a DVD and she and Castle drove to the 12th. Using the DVD, Beckett printed out copies of the Montstrose customer list and she, Castle, Ryan and Esposito sat around the table in the conference room looking at them. There were no familiar names, but Ryan stared at one address and checked his notes. "This guy, Bob Eichler, he's at the same address at Jennifer Berkley," Ryan told them.

"Isn't that the woman who found the body?" Castle asked.

Ryan nodded.

"Bring them both in," Beckett ordered Ryan and Esposito.

Beckett and Castle were researching the other names on the list while waiting for Ryan and Esposito to return, when loud strains of La Cucaracha emanated from Beckett's cell phone. Beckett read the text and walked around her desk to the computer where Castle was working and took his hand. "That was a message from Pi's parents. They want him to call them tonight."

Castle ran a hand down his face, closed his eyes and drew a breath. "I need to call Alexis."

Beckett shook her head. "I'll do it, Castle. I promised."

Beckett made the call to Alexis and arranged to meet her at the loft in enough time so that Beckett could make the notification, but Alexis could talk to Pi's parents about whatever arrangements they wanted to make.

"Thank you for that," Castle said.

"What?" Beckett asked.

"Making sure that Alexis isn't the one who has to tell Pi's parents that their son is dead."

"That's my job, Castle."

"I know, but thank you anyway." Castle looked around, pressed a quick kiss into Beckett's palm and closed her fingers over it."

Ryan and Esposito returned to the 12th, but without Jennifer Berkley and Bob Eichler. "They cleared out," Esposito explained. "The manager of the building said that they didn't tell him they were leaving. They ran out on their lease and their deposit, and he has no idea where they went."

"Espo, let's check financials, credit cards, everything, see if we can find out where they went. Ryan, see if you can work your magic with traffic video. Do we know what kind of car they were driving?"

"Manager said they have a bright orange Saturn Vue, looks like a big pumpkin. Shouldn't be too hard to spot," Ryan told her.

Castle and Beckett returned to the loft in plenty of time for Beckett to join Alexis in the call to Pi's parents. The three of them sat around the dining table where Beckett had laid her cellphone on speaker. Alexis had a spiral book to take notes. Beckett used the calm, honest tone that Castle had heard so many times but still marveled at, then Alexis took over the conversation, voice trembling only slightly. Pi's parents wanted to come to New York immediately, but Pi's father was unsure of transportation. "Sir, this is Richard Castle, Alexis's father. I would be honored to send a plane to get you and arrange anything else you need." Castle interjected.

Pi's parents expressed their thanks, their grief palpable, and broke the connection.

"Thank you Kate, Alexis said. "I would have had no idea how to do that." Alexis turned to Castle and hugged him. "And thank you."

Castle kissed Alexis' forehead. "Under the circumstances it was the least I could do."

Alexis retreated to her room. After to a call to the agency that handled his travel, Castle lay propped against a stack of pillows on the couch with Beckett, stroking her hair. "Sometimes I just can't believe how remarkable you are," he told her.

"You're not so bad yourself, Castle. That was a nice thing you did."

"I wish I could think of something more to do, after being such a jerk."

"Maybe you were being a jerk Castle, but you were also being a father. I know how important Alexis is to you and so does she, even if she didn't like the way you showed it. You'll figure it out. You always do."

Fiddling with a button on Beckett's blouse Castle asked, "Detective Beckett, do you think you could help me to figure out what to do right now?"

Beckett stroked her finger lightly down Castle's thigh, "Mr. Castle, that is something I know I can handle."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

La Cucaracha blasted Beckett out of bed at 3 A.M.. There was a text from Pi's parents, who had contacted Pi's sister Margo in Africa. She was in Nigeria, setting up lead testing clinics on cacao plantations, but thought that she could make it back for a memorial for Pi. Beckett didn't have to wake Castle, who couldn't miss the purposely intrusive ring tone. She showed him the text. "I can take care of that later this morning, right now no one is up but us," he grumbled.

Beckett stuck her hands under his black t-shirt. "Just how up are you, Castle?" she purred.

Castle put a finger under the wide neckline of Beckett's sleep shirt and eased it down over her shoulder. "More up by the second," he answered, kissing the exposed skin.

Beckett pulled Castle's shirt over his head as he did hers and they tasted each other, savoring the salty tang, pulling the rest of their clothing aside as they needed more and more. Giving and taking, they rose as one until there was nowhere higher to go, and drifting down together they were able to find sleep once more.

Castle made a hearty morning scramble, Alexis provided a large side of fruit and Beckett made coffee. Martha, having no classes until later, was sleeping in. Over breakfast, Beckett filled Alexis in on the text from Pi's parents. Castle left a voice mail concerning Margot's travel from Nigeria and planned to follow up on it with live people later that morning. Alexis volunteered to clean up while Beckett and Castle left for the 12th.

Ryan and Esposito were hard at work tracking Jennifer Berkley and Bob Eichler, with Ryan looking for the orange Vue and Esposito tracking their credit card use. Beckett continued working with Montstrose's customer list while Castle talked with his agency finalizing travel arrangements for Pi's parents and sister.

"Yo!" Esposito called, Eichler used his credit card at a gas station in Queens. Ryan rushed to find some video of the area and Beckett called to have uniforms in the area look for the Vue. Uniforms reported that the Vue was parked outside a small motel called the Queen's Palace. Beckett, Castle, Ryan and Esposito went to Queens to get Berkley and Eichler.

Beckett and Castle sat opposite Jennifer Berkley and Bob Eichler in the box. Beckett put a picture of Pi's dead body in front of Jennifer, who drew back.

"Ms Berkley, what time did you get to the Tribeca garden on Monday morning?"

"A little after seven. I found his body and called 911."

"Are you sure about that? We have video of your car leaving your building at five A.M. And we have more video of it driving toward the garden at six A.M."

"Maybe I got the time wrong," Jennifer said, "so what?"

Beckett indicated the picture. "We know that he arrived after five forty five and was dead by seven. You were there. He was killed by a person about your height and you were the only one who saw him. The last person to see someone alive is usually the killer."

Eichler started to move his chair away from Jennifer's. "I don't know anything about that."

"Really, Mr. Eichler? It looks to me like you were trying to help Jennifer here get away. That's called being an accessory after the fact. That makes you as guilty as she is."

Eichler crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm not saying anything else. I want a lawyer."

"I want a lawyer too," Berkley added.

Beckett allowed Berkley and Eichler to contact their lawyers and Ryan and Esposito took them to holding.

"What are you going to do now?" Castle asked Beckett.

"I think we can flip Eichler if we offer him a deal. He looked pretty scared. We have method and opportunity for Jennifer, but it would really help to know the motive."

"It has to be connected to the Montstrose," Castle said." Eichler bought that seed, but that wasn't a crime. Jennifer probably saw Pi taking samples of her plants, but why would she kill him for that? Does Esposito still have Jennifer's financials?"

"What are you thinking, Castle?"

"I want to see if she sold any of her produce and if so, to whom. She couldn't use that seed for organic produce so..."

Beckett picked up the theory, "If she told people her stuff was organic and they found out it wasn't, she'd lose all her customers, they might even sue her. She could lose everything. Let's look at those financials, Jennifer's and Eichler's"

Beckett sat with Bob Eichler and his lawyer, Ben Davis, in the box as Castle, Ryan and Esposito watched through the mirror. "Mr. Eichler, you purchased herbicide resistant seed from Montstrose, is that correct?"

Eichler looked at Davis who shook his head. Eichler remained silent.

"Mr Eichler, both you and Jennifer Berkley received a series of payments for organic produce. If you used that seed to grow it, that produce was not organic."

Eichler whispered to Davis who told Beckett,"My client and Miss Berkley grow produce in gardens which the USDA has certified as pesticide free. That's where the payments come from. My client has no motive. I'll be filing a motion to have him released."

Beckett came out of the box and slammed her ever-present leather folder on her desk. "I thought we had them, Castle! There's no way we can convict with what we have."

Castle wanted to put his arms around her but always aware of Captain Gates' rules, he just took her hands. "We're almost there, Beckett. We'll get there."

"I just hate to have to tell this to Alexis," Beckett told him.

Castle gave her hand a squeeze. "I know."

At the loft, Castle, Beckett and Alexis made plans for the arrival of Pi's parents and sister. His parents were due to arrive in the morning and Margot in the afternoon. Alexis and Castle would use Castle's car service to pick up Pi's parents and take them to the Four Seasons. When the parents were settled, the procedure would be repeated in the afternoon for Margot, then they would all gather in the loft to plan for the arrangements. Alexis was upset at the setback in the case, but too absorbed in the planning to dwell on it. She finally retired to her room leaving Castle with a pacing Beckett.

Castle came up behind Beckett and began to massage her shoulders. "Come with me," he said, leading her to the bedroom,

"Castle, I really don't..." Beckett protested.

"I'm just going to help you relax," he told her. "You need a massage. Can you undress or do you want me to help?

"Castle," Beckett said doubtfully.

"Really," Castle said, "you'll love it."

Castle warmed scented oil between his hands and kneaded the knots from her neck. As he felt Beckett relax under his hands, he moved down to her shoulders and to her back, until she lay quietly, sinking into the softness of the pillow-topped mattress. Castle washed the oil off his hands, and stripping to his t-shirt and shorts and climbed into bed beside her, inhaling the scent of the oil and the essence of Beckett. Their breathing slowed together and they slipped into slumber.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Beckett's back pressed against Castle's t-shirt leaving it slick and scented as they spooned in the dimness of the early morning light. Castle was not looking forward to a day with Pi's grieving family. The thought of thinking up wonderful things to say about someone he had so disparaged in life, filled him with dread, afraid that Alexis would think him a hypocrite. He really couldn't blame her if she did.

Beckett stirred, her rich waves brushing his face. Castle breathed in the fragrance, but also a couple of strands of hair and sneezed, waking her. "Really Castle," Beckett protested, "you could cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze."

"Sorry," Castle apologized. "I couldn't bear to pull my arms from around you, even if your hair was tickling my nose."  
Snorting, Beckett turned to face him. "How about if I tickle something else? Maybe here?" Beckett asked with a feather-light touch on his navel. "Or here?" she asked moving lower.

Castle arched and pulled her against him. "My turn," he growled, lightly nibbling at her neck.

As Beckett writhed against him, the playfulness became a torrent of need. They moved desperately against each other. Castle tore off his shirt, needing to be skin to skin, and rolled Beckett underneath him, joining with her, feeling the remains of the oil between them. The energy filled them, building until the explosion left them stunned and breathless.

"Castle, are you all right?" Beckett asked gently stroking his face.

"I'll let you know, if I can ever move again," Castle told her. "You?"

"Pretty much the same, but we'll have to move soon. The alarm will be going off any minute."

Castle groaned and put his forearm over his eyes, just as the cell alarm sounded. They showered, keeping the temperature just warm enough to wash off the last vestiges of the oil. The needle-sharp pressure of the water was energizing enough to allow them to dress and greet Alexis in the kitchen. Castle made the coffee double strong.

Since Castle would be making the airport runs with Alexis, Beckett went to the 12th alone.

As Castle and Alexis rode in the back seat of the limo on the way to Kennedy International, Alexis asked to go over the interrogation of Berkley and Eichler from the day before. "Wait, Dad, did that lawyer say they were growing organics in places the USDA had certified as pesticide free?"

"Yes," Castle answered.

"Remember the results from Pi's friend? The gardens where the USDA reported pesticides as not detected, there actually were some. Other labs could find them.!"

Castle hugged Alexis, kissed her on the forehead and pulled out his I-phone to call Beckett.

Pi's father, Fred Moon, was unmistakable, with the same dark curls as his son. Dotty Moon had red hair and bright blue eyes. Castle had brief thoughts about Freud before flinching, realizing that Meredith was a redhead like Martha. The Moons had very little luggage, telling Castle that in the jungle you have to travel light.

"I'm sure the concierge at the Four Seasons can provide you with anything that you need," Castle told them. Fred Moon indulgently assured Castle that he doubted that would be necessary. Both Moons seemed a little distressed with the luxury of the suite that Castle had provided, but were politely gracious. Castle asked them what their preferences were for lunch and was very relieved to find out that they were not fruitarians. Castle had originally planned to take them to the hotel restaurant, but picking up on their discomfort with the slightly decadent surroundings, he took them to a local deli instead.

After receiving Castle's call, Beckett reviewed Eichler's financials searching for locations where his organic produce was grown, She checked with Justin Bright who confirmed that they were indeed certified pesticide free. Retrieving Pi's phone, she called the lab Pi had been using and asked about the pesticides they had found. Pi's friend, Jonah Price confirmed that pesticides were on two properties that were certified pesticide free. He agreed to sample and test all the properties Eichler used around the city, as a memorial to his friend, Pi.

By the time Castle, Alexis, Fred, and Dotty Moon, finished lunch, it was time to go back to the airport to get Margot. The Moons asked to go along. Margot looked nothing like her brother. She was red haired and her blue eyes were red-rimmed as if she had spent at least part of her trip back crying. She embraced her parents and Alexis and Castle allowed himself to be hugged as well. After a quick side trip to the Four Seasons to drop off Margot's luggage, the group went to Castle's loft. Castle called Beckett when they were on their way. After calling Lainie to confirm that the body could be released, Beckett met the Castles and Moons at the loft.

Gathered around the dining table, Dotty Moon took the lead of the discussion.

"Pi would have wanted to be recycled into the universe without polluting it," Dotty said.

Alexis nodded and picked up the thread. "That would mean no cremation to add to global warming and no embalming. He wouldn't want to put formaldehyde into the earth. The Moons agreed. Castle made notes on his laptop. "I can arrange that," he said. 'I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but we'll need it for the paperwork. "What was Pi's real name?"

Dotty Moon gave Castle the kind of look that suggested that she had heard the question too many times. "His name was Pi," she explained. "Fred and I are two radii, multiplying by Pi gives the circumference of the moon."

"I'm sorry," Castle said. "I've been learning a lot of lessons from Pi. Forgive me. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

The Moons shook their heads, but Alexis said,"Dad, can we do papaya steaks tonight, just to remember?"

Castle winced inwardly but smiled and took her hand saying, "Of course."

The Moons expressed an interest in Castle's books, so he showed them his office an explained his process, leaving out the caffeine and the procrastination, while Alexis and Beckett went fruit shopping. Beckett helped Alexis with food preparation and set the table with fat, sage scented candles. Martha returned from her school to join them and they ate their fruitarian meal.

After the Moons had been taken back to the Four Seasons, Beckett filled Castle in on the Eichler situation. "Castle, I think Jonah Price will help us nail them, but it may take a couple more days. Alexis made a great catch."

"In more ways than one, "Castle said ruefully. "I was an idiot. I just wish there was something else I could do for that family besides helping to bury a son and brother."

Beckett put her arms around Castles neck, kissed him and climbed onto his lap, her legs behind him. "You'll figure it out. You've always been very good at figuring out what people really want and need. Just think about it for a while."

"So what do you want and need, Detective Beckett?" Castle asked.

Keeping her arms around his neck, Beckett slid forward on his lap until their bodies were pressed tightly together. Pressing another, deeper kiss to his lips she said, "Mr. Castle, I thought you'd never ask."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The jet stream had dipped down from Canada, bringing plunging temperatures with it and frosting the windows of the loft. The thermostat in the loft was still on its night setting, making indoor temperatures chilly as well. Beckett pulled up the covers and snuggled against the warmth of Castle's body. She shivered with the memory of being trapped in subzero temperatures, while only the warmth of his body had shielded her from freezing to death. Castle shifted and pulled her close. "Cold?" he asked.

"Mmmm," she answered, pressing herself into his chest and propping her feet on his legs.

"Oh, cold toes!" Castle yelled. He caught her feet between his and started run his hands up and down her arms. Soon they were warming up. Castle wove his fingers through Beckett's hair and pulled her lips against his. Not wanting to remove their clothing in the chill air, they reached underneath, finding and touching, finally pulling obstructions away just enough to meet. There was less freedom but more friction, until they had to kick free of sheets and blankets as a sheen of sweat formed on their skins. The finish came and they felt the coolness again on their bodies. Castle pulled a blanket up over them and held Beckett tightly, until the rays of a sun bright against the blue sky of the ice clear day caused them to rise.

It was to be another morning of separate tasks, with Beckett going to the 12th and Castle looking after arrangements and taking the Moons and Alexis wherever they needed to go. Castle decided to make a breakfast that would fortify them for the day. There were no marshmallows in the loft, so mercifully smorelets were off the menu. Castle went for pancakes with eggs and turkey bacon on the side. Alexis prepared fruit, as well as a youth promoting smoothie for Martha. Beckett started the coffee, but as she had yet to learn how to make hearts, Castle finished it.

As they gathered around the table. Alexis said "I don't know if I can do this, Dad." I want to be strong for Pi's parents, but his father is so much like Pi, I want to cry every time I see him."

Beckett gave Castle a look that said "Let me take this."

"Alexis," she said, "from one strong woman to another, I can tell you that it's all right to cry. No one will think less of you for it and they'd probably think you were strange if you didn't. Your Dad, your Gram, and I, we're all here for the Moons. We're going to make this work."

"Thank you Kate," Alexis said, and they exchanged hugs.

After Beckett left, Castle used his laptop to look for funeral homes that offered the kind of services the Moon's required. He found out that New York State is actually one of the most progressive places for green burials, offering green cemeteries, biodegradable coffins, and formaldehyde free preparation of bodies. He downloaded brochures from several funeral homes specializing in eco-friendly services, to take to the Moons.

Castle also called Beckett to see if there was any news. She told him that Jonah Bright had called and reported that he had collected multiple samples which he was prepping for analysis as they spoke. She had also put a team on Bob Eichler to make sure he didn't disappear. They had enough on Jennifer Berkley for arraignment, which she had been, and was in custody.

Before leaving, Castle searched several environmental sites to see if he could get some kind of idea about a memorial to Pi. A plan formed in his mind.

Alexis had another concern. Coming straight from the Amazon and Africa, she doubted that the Moons had clothing for the freezing temperatures. Castle suggested that they could just buy something at the hotel, but Alexis felt that might make the Moons uncomfortable. The price of a coat at the Four Seasons would probably be more than enough to set up one of Margot's clinics. Alexis had a coat to lend to Margot and Martha had one for Dotty. Anything belonging to Castle would probably be way too big for Fred, but Alexis proposed that they go by the apartment and get one of Pi's jackets, since he and his father were about the same size. "Alexis," Castle told her, "if you think you can handle it, I'll take you."

Castle's BMW was big enough to accommodate the Castles and the Moons, so Castle drove it. Alexis unlocked the door of the apartment she and Pi had shared with shaking fingers, but was able to retrieve the jacket. Castle drove to the Four Seasons.

Castle presented his brochures to the Moons and they picked a couple of possible funeral homes and services they wanted to use. When Castle tried to usher them to the car, they asked if they could use the subway instead, as it was greener. He agreed, although several changes of trains were involved and it was likely that much of the morning would be spent in transportation. Castle was also concerned that Beckett would be unable to reach him while he was underground and checked in with her immediately, whenever they emerged from the tunnels. They spent all morning and a good part of the afternoon interviewing providers of green burial services, with a quick lunch in between, until the Moons were satisfied, but details of a memorial service were yet to be addressed. Castle suggested that Alexis take the Moons back to the loft on the subway to start working on it. He would go back to the Four Seasons to pick up his car and meet them there.

On his way back to the loft, Castle picked up several quarts of fresh soup and some fresh baked bread for a simple but comforting meal. When he arrived, Alexis was in deep discussion with the Moons around the table. Castle lit a fire and joined them.

Alexis had suggested St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia, but the Moons wanted some place outside, despite the cold weather, feeling it might be more appropriate to Pi's passions. Castle volunteered the grounds of his house in the Hamptons and showed the Moons some pictures he had on his I-phone. After seeing the view of the water, they agreed. The Moons wanted to conduct the service themselves, with Alexis making contact with friends that she and Pi had made.

Around six, Beckett arrived, reporting that she expected to get results from Jonah Price sometime tomorrow that would enable her to build a case against Bob Eichler that would allow her to convince him to roll on Jennifer Berkley. She had also been checking out other customers of Montstrose, finding that some of them had extensive holdings around the city, but she hadn't uncovered anything illegal.

Fred Moon snorted. "Everything Montstrose does should be illegal. Soon there won't be any bees left to pollinate our crops and there won't be any small farmers left to grow them. If that's not a crime, I don't know what is!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Moon," Beckett said, "I can only work with the laws we have, but that will be enough to get justice for Pi. That's the best we can do right now."

"No I'm sorry, Kate," Fred said. "We're very grateful for everything you've done."

After a quiet dinner, the Moons announced that they would take the subway back to the Four Seasons. Alexis double checked with them to make sure they were sure of their route and hugged them goodbye.

Castle retired to his office. Beckett spent some time going over her case notes and then joined him to see what he was working on. Castle was just hanging up the phone.

"Who were you talking to?" Beckett asked.

"My lawyer," Castle answered. "I'm working on something to honor Pi. He's going to get back to me on it."

Beckett put her arms around Castle, "I'm sure whatever it is, it'll be great."

Castle stood and cradled Beckett's cheek in his palm. "You're great," he said. "I can't imagine being without you."

"Well I'm not going anywhere, Castle, except..." Beckett said, posing in the doorway of the bedroom. "Coming Castle?" she asked, moving toward the bed.

Castle quickly followed her, slamming the door behind him.

A/N We were reminded by "Get A Clue" of the power of words to hurt. "Like Father, Like Daughter" showed how difficult it can be to undo the results of that kind of hurt. I deal with that theme somewhat here. In the last 24 hours it has been my misfortune to read malicious words sent to a gossip site from an anonymous source. I just want to remind you all that just because something is on the internet, that doesn't make it true. I don't know why some people seem to get such a kick out of saying mean things about celebrities, but they do. I certainly hope no one supports that kind of activity.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Beckett tossed in bed, eager for the lab results that would nail Eichler and seal the conviction of Jennifer Berkley. Jonah Price had promised them sometime that day. She hoped it would be early. As she started to sit up, Castle sleepily reached out an arm. "Don't get up, stay in bed."

Beckett smiled ruefully at the memory of the last time she'd heard those words. She and Castle had been drugged and handcuffed and were lying on a mattress, a wall away from a tiger. Castle had been surprised, but happy, when she asked him to lift her top. He was still happy to lift her top, hold her hand, or pull off her boots as she had asked that day. They were both happier that he didn't have to stop there.

"C'mon Castle," Beckett said, "we have things to do."

"You've got that right," Castle answered, grabbing her hand to bring her back.

"Castle," Beckett started to protest, the sound swallowed by a kiss. She couldn't help kissing back, their hunger for each other quickly growing. Castle tried to taste everywhere, first one lip, then the other, the corners of her mouth, her jaw, until reaching the magic spot where her neck met her shoulder. Becket plunged her hands under his shirt, running her hands up and down his back, pulling him closer until finally the clothes were tossed aside and they joined each other, passionately pulling each other toward completion. The end left Beckett collapsed on top of Castle as he lay quietly stroking her hair.

Beckett roused slowly. Castle started to grumble another protest, but she put a finger to his lips. "Castle, this time I really do have to get going," she told him, "and so do you."

They showered separately and quickly, pulled their clothes on over still slightly damp bodies and went in search of caffeine. Beckett got there first and started a pot going. Castle got out the remains of the bread left over from dinner, making thick slices of toast topped with sugar and white vanilla powder. As the smell of coffee and vanilla filled the kitchen, they slowly came to full alertness.

Alexis came down the stairs rubbing her eyes, followed by Martha. Alexis made smoothies for both of them and Beckett, Castle, Alexis and Martha sat at the counter to plan the day. Alexis reported that she had reached almost everyone she could think of to invite to Pi's memorial that weekend. She was looking into a bio-diesel bus to transport everyone from the city to the Hamptons. The temperature was starting to rise, so it seemed like there was at least a prayer that no one would freeze to death at an outdoor ceremony. Martha announced that she was going to the Hamptons house to get things ready, or at least to supervise the housekeeper in getting things ready and that she would see them there for the ceremony. Alexis would be taking charge of the Moons and helping them with anything they still needed to get done. That left Castle free to accompany Beckett to the 12th.

As he and Beckett were leaving, Castle turned back. "Alexis, call me if you need anything, and I mean anything."

"Sure, Dad," Alexis agreed, "but I should be fine."

"Love you," Castle said.

"Love you too," Alexis replied.

As soon as Beckett and Castle arrived at the 12th, Beckett received an e-mail with Jonah Price's laboratory results. Smiling grimly, she muttered, "Got you, asshole!" Beckett called the surveillance team she had on Eichler and sent some uniforms to bring him in.

Eichler, would not, of course, say a word without his lawyer Ben Davis. Once Davis arrived, Beckett and Castle sat opposite them in the box. "Mr. Eichler," Beckett began, pushing printouts of Jonah Price's results across the table in front of him,"As you can see, we can prove that you have been growing and selling supposedly organic produce in fields containing pesticides. That gives you a motive to conspire with Jennifer Berkley in the murder of Pi Moon. Miss Berkley was present at the time of death. She had access to the murder weapon and is of the right height to have wielded the blow. You aided her escape and would have shared in the profits of her crime. That makes you as guilty as she is, but I have a one time offer. Tell us everything you know, and I'll put the D.A. In the mood for a plea bargain. Otherwise you can stand in front of a jury together and tell them why a good man had to die so that you could make money putting poison into children's mouths."

Eichler consulted with his attorney and nodded. Beckett began the long task of taking Eichler's statement and having it printed and signed before she sent him to holding. Then she and Castle went to speak to Captain Gates.

"Sir," Beckett said, "I believe we have everything we need to absolutely assure the conviction of Jennifer Berkley." Beckett handed Gates Eichler's statement. "I would like to get her in here and try to get a confession. There's no reason the taxpayers should pay for a trial if they don't have to. It would also be wonderful to be able to tell Pi Moon's family that the case is over."

Victoria Gates put on her reading glasses and carefully read the statement, her IA experience driving her to make sure that every "i" was dotted and every "t" crossed. When she had assured herself of the completeness of Beckett's work, she said, "Go get her."

Beckett and Castle brought Jennifer Berkley from the woman's facility where she was being held for trial, to the box at the 12th, where they were joined by Jennifer's lawyer Georgia Briggs and ADA Toni Gonzalez. Beckett distributed copies of Eichler's statement.

Toni Gonzalez read through Eichler's statement carefully, although it was mostly theatre as Gates had already sent it to her. "Ms. Berkley, it is very clear that we have enough here to convict you on first degree murder and conspiracy. I have no doubt of that. We have means, motive and opportunity. You were at the crime scene with the weapon. The forensics are consistent with your body type. You stood to lose a lot of money if Mr. Moon completed his research and we have a statement from your accomplice. You will spend the rest of your life in a maximum security prison with no possibility of parole. I have a limited time offer. Save us the bother of trying you and I'll knock off the conspiracy charges and open up the possibility for parole. You have five minutes to think about it. Beckett, Castle and Toni Gonzalez walked out of the room, while Jennifer Berkley conferred with Georgia Briggs. They met Captain Gates who had been watching through the mirror. Gates looked satisfied.

After exactly five minutes. Toni Gonzales walked back into the box and received a nod from Georgia Briggs. Gonzales sat down to take Jennifer Berkley's confession.

When Castle and Beckett returned to the loft, the Moons were there and Dotty and Margot Moon and Alexis were making dinner. Castle was very glad to see that it didn't consist totally of fruit, although there were some grains he didn't recognize. "You've done so much for us, we wanted to do something for you," Dotty told him. Castle smiled and hoped for the best.

Castle was surprised at how much he enjoyed the food. He was especially impressed with muffins made with a grain called Teff, that Margot told him was from North Africa. They were dark and very rich, without the dryness he expected from a 'healthy" muffin. Over dinner, Beckett announced that Jennifer Berkley had confessed and would be going to jail. Although they hugged Beckett, the Moons didn't seem as relieved as Beckett would have expected. Dotty Moon explained that while they were very grateful that there would be justice for Pi, they could never be glad about other peoples' misfortunes. After dinner, the Moons returned to the Four Seasons with a promise to meet Alexis in the morning.

When the Moons were gone, Castle and Beckett curled up in front of the fire with glasses of red wine and stuffed dates. The dates were sweet and very sticky and they licked the sweetness from each others' fingers. "I think there's more," Beckett said, using her tongue on the corners of Castle's mouth.

"You have some too," Castle told her, licking her bottom lip. The gentle touch turned to a kiss, enthusiastically returned. "You want to go look for more sweet spots?" Castle asked.

"Absolutely," Beckett purred, and Castle swept her into his arms.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Beckett had the rare pleasure of a slow morning. There was nothing left of the case but paperwork and she could take her time getting to the 12th. She really didn't have to go in at all unless a body dropped, so she cuddled into Castle, happily absorbing the warmth from his body and using her finger to draw random patterns on his chest.

"Mmmm," Castle sighed, his long lashes slowly rising over sapphire eyes. "Good morning."

"Good morning yourself," Beckett breathed, feeling that at any moment she could fall into those eyes. Beckett brushed her fingers through the strands of hair falling over his forehead. "What do you want to do today?"

Castle trailed a finger down from Beckett's collarbone, pushing the sheet lower. "I'll figure out something."

The lovemaking was lazy and luxurious as they explored every inch of each other, touching and tasting until drowsy play became urgent arousal. Touches became strokes and gentle kisses grew in intensity until the pressure became unbearable. When release finally came, they rested in each others' arms, the sun sending fingers of warmth across their bodies. The light became brighter, invading their eyelids and finally driving them from the bed and into the shower, where they slowly covered each other in spicy scented bubbles. As Castle washed Beckett's hair, the scent of cherries surrounded them, bringing them together again. They finally finished under a cool spray and wrapped each other in bath sheets of absorbent Egyptian cotton.

After dressing in casual clothes, Castle and Beckett went in search of coffee. They found Alexis in the kitchen finishing up a smoothie. "What are you up to this morning?" Castle asked.

"I'm meeting the Moons at the Four Seasons and we're going to the Museum of Natural History. They have some friends who work there. I should be going now."

After Alexis was out the door, Castle made his special lattes and Beckett made crispy waffles. Beckett topped the waffles with strawberries from the fruit cache in the refrigerator, and they fed the ripe berries to each other. "See Castle, you do get off putting things in my mouth," Beckett teased, reminding him of the banter they'd exchanged as a distraction while she stood on a bomb. Burying her fingers in Castle's hair, Beckett kissed him deeply.

"I'm not complaining, but what was that for?" Castle asked.

"For being there for me, for Alexis, for everyone, always."

"Well that's awkward," Castle told her. "Actually I have to go see my lawyer for a while this morning."

"You know Castle, that could work out. I have some paperwork to finish up at the precinct. Meet back here for lunch?"

Castle gave her a quick kiss. "Meet back here for lunch."

Beckett returned to the loft to find that Castle had stopped at their favorite deli and picked up a sumptuous picnic which he had laid out a blanket on the floor in front of the fireplace. There was an assortment of little sandwiches, several salads, crunchy dill pickles, and cheesecake for dessert. Castle also had a bottle of the red wine that made Beckett feel warm and shiny. They lay on the blanket, propped on pillows and feeding each other tidbits until with the wine and the warmth of the fire, they fell asleep with Castle clasping one of Beckett's hands in both of his, on his broad chest.

Alexis came through the front door around seven P.M. to see them lying there, gave a little scream and rushed to Castle, feeling for a pulse in his neck. Castle sat up. "Alexis, what's wrong?" he asked.

Alexis tried to catch her breath. "Dad, I thought … never mind. You guys were just sleeping," she said looking back and forth between Castle and Beckett who was now propped up on her elbows. "Sorry I woke you."

Castle gathered Alexis in his arms. "It's OK. I'm sorry we scared you."

Castle started gathering up empty food containers with some help from Beckett. "How about happy face pancakes?" he asked.

"Sure Dad," Alexis agreed.

As Castle made the pancake supper, Alexis made her special hot chocolate. Beckett, Castle, and Alexis ate at the counter. Alexis helped clean up and went up to her room.

"We don't want to scare Alexis anymore,"Beckett said,"you want to watch something?"

"Your choice," Castle told her. Beckett gave a mischievous grin.

Castle winced to see that Beckett had put in a DVD of "Nebula Nine". "Seriously?" he asked.

"Tell you what Castle, you watch with me, with no heckling and I'll do Lieutenant Chloe for you. No masks."

Castle swallowed and licked his lips. "Deal"

Castle, Beckett, and Alexis all rose early to make the trip to the Hamptons. After a quick smoothie, Alexis left for Columbia, where she had arranged to have a bio-diesel bus waiting to take all her friends to the memorial. The Moons would be joining her.

Castle and Beckett planned to drive together in Castle's BMW. They each took small bags, planning to stay overnight after the service. On the way out the door, Castle grabbed a thick manilla envelope from his office. "What's that?" Beckett asked.

"It's for the Moons," Castle answered. "We'll talk about it after the ceremony."

"Do you want to stop for coffee?" Beckett asked as they approached the Hamptons.

"Please," Castle answered. "I'm not quite ready to face this yet."

"Mmmm," Beckett answered, nodding.

As they sat over very upscale Hamptons lattes Castle said, "I can't believe how much I've learned in the past few days, mostly about what an idiot I can be. I thought that I was really good at reading people, figuring out their stories, but with Pi I didn't even try. All I could see was that he was a slob who wanted to get into my daughter's pants. I made absolutely no effort to see anything good about him. What does that say about me?"

Beckett held Castle's head in her hands. "It says that you're human, and that you're a father. You're an incredibly over-protective father, but considering that it's been you and Alexis for so long and what happened in Paris, it's understandable."

"You think Alexis will ever really forgive me?"

"I think she already has. You just have to forgive yourself."

Castle placed kisses in both of Beckett's palms. "I love you."

"I love you too."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Chairs were lined up on the wide lawn facing the ocean in front of a podium covered in flowers. Alexis and the Moons sat in the front row. Castle sat next to Alexis holding her hand, with Beckett beside him. Rows of people young and not so young sat behind them. The weather had grown warmer, but with the breeze off the ocean, most were bundled in jackets, scarves, and gloves.

Fred Moon took the Podium. "For those of you who don't know me, I am Fred Moon, Pi's father. Pi was not a follower of any one god, but rather of the energy and love of the universe, so instead of any particular religious statement, I would ask that you, his friends and loved ones, come up and tell us what is in your minds and hearts."

Jonah Price was the first to speak. "Pi was my friend and colleague. I knew no one who cared more about the environment or all the beings that inhabit it. Wherever he went, he loved everyone he met and tried to make the world better for all of us. The world will be less for his loss, and I will miss him very much."

Person after person came to the podium. Some brought guitars and sang songs. Some read poetry. Most just spoke their thoughts. Alexis was the last to speak. "Pi was my love. He was sweet and kind. He loved others and he loved this world. He died loving every bee that flew and every plant they pollinated. He left a hole in my heart that I can't imagine filling, but I know that he hated sadness. He wanted me to be happy, and because that was always his wish, I will try to find some good, even in this. Please help me to celebrate his life. The Moons and I agreed that Pi would have wanted a green burial and we will be going to the nearest place to do that. If each of you would take a flower and bring it with you on the bus, we can all do that together."

Alexis took a flower from the podium and began walking toward the bus. The Moons, Castle, and Beckett followed as did the rest of the gathering.

Pi was in the plainest of biodegradable pine coffins. After he was lowered into the ground, starting with Alexis, each person in turn threw their flower on top of the coffin until it was covered in a brightly colored blanket, then a young man raised a trumpet to his lips and played "Flight of the Bumblebee." The bus took everyone back to Castle's Hamptons house, where Martha had supervised a beautifully catered spread with every imaginable type of fruit, as well as breads, cheeses and sparkling juices. As evening fell, everyone except Alexis, Castle, Beckett, Martha and the Moons was transported back to the city.

Castle asked the Moon Family and Beckett and Alexis to gather around the dining table and came in carrying the manilla envelope Beckett had seen him bring from New York. "I've been trying to figure out what I could do to honor Pi," he told them. "It seemed to me that the best thing I could do would be to try to finish the work that he started. This is the paperwork for the start-up of the Pi Moon Foundation for the study of Colony Collapse Disorder and promotion of the honest reporting of pesticide levels. I've provided the seed money and I'll be using my book events as fund raisers. Jonah Price will be chairing the board and Alexis, you and any member of the Moon family may serve on that board if you wish. If you would like to look the papers over, my lawyer can change anything you don't like."

Castle was hugged in turn by the Moons and finally by a glistening eyed Alexis."Love you, Dad."

"Love you."

The flames rose in the fireplace, while smaller ones danced in the candles behind the bed. Propped up against a stack of pillows, with Beckett's head on his shoulder, Castle pulled her comfortingly close.

"Thank you for being with me through all of this, Kate," Castle told her.

"That's what partners do," Kate replied.

Rick slowly started to pull the blankets down from her shoulder and warmed the spot with his lips. "What else do partners do?"

Kate turned toward him and placed a kiss just below his Adam's apple. "Some of us do this." She continued a trail of kisses down his chest, pulling the blanket lower as she went, "or this," and trailing still lower, "or this."

Hands plunged into her hair, Rick pulled her upwards, placing his lips over hers, tasting deeply. They kicked the blankets away in a frenzy of tasting, touching, feeling, passion rising with the flames in the fireplace. They were moving wildly, taking more and more of each other until they could no longer be separate. They became one, washed in heat and flickering light, striving for the summit, until it was reached and they found peace in each other.

Morning reached in, gray and chilling off the water. The fire still burned in the fireplace but the candles had gone out. Castle and Beckett warmed each other as best they could under a hot shower, drying off and reaching for their clothes quickly.

Using leftovers from the previous day, Castle made cheese omelets accompanied by thick slabs of lightly toasted bread. Alexis also put the fruit to use in smoothies for herself, Martha, and the Moons. Beckett made both coffee and hot chocolate, which Castle topped with the ever present spray can of whipped cream. When everyone was feeling fortified by food, the group went about deciding how they would drive back to the city. Alexis and the Moons would be going with Martha, while Beckett went with Castle, although Martha would be putting some of her luggage in Castle's trunk. The Moons had all their luggage with them, as it would be their last day in the city. They had flights scheduled for the evening.

"Are you glad it's over?" Beckett asked Castle as he drove back to the loft?

"I'm not sure it is," Castle said. "I'm not really sure where I stand with Alexis. She needed me to help her through this, but I have no idea what happens now. Will she stay in that hovel of an apartment? Will she try to get into the dorms? Will she want to stay at the loft? I have no idea. Once we get the Moons on their planes, we're going to have to talk about it. I don't think that will be easy."

"Nothing ever is, Castle," Beckett opined.

"Alexis used to be. A tutu and a tiara, a game of laser tag, or a light saber duel and she was in heaven. Now I never know what to do anymore."

"Castle, remember what you told me, sometimes the hardest things are the ones most worth doing? Do you still believe that?"

Castle looked at Beckett and smiled. "Absolutely."

The Moons sat with Castle in his office discussing a few ideas they had for the foundation. He noted them on his laptop in preparation for sending an e-mail to his lawyer. When they were finished, despite the gray day, Alexis took them out for a last walk around the city. Martha had gone to supervise a Sunday afternoon reading at her school. Castle and Beckett were alone in the loft but Castle found great contentment in just stretching out on the couch with Beckett in his arms.

When the Moons returned, Castle, Beckett and Alexis took them to the airport in plenty of time for them to run the gauntlet of security. After fighting his way through the traffic coming back into Manhattan, Castle didn't really want to cope with anything else. Beckett called and ordered Chinese and Castle poured himself a generous scotch. No one seemed to want to talk much about anything. Alexis went to her room and Castle and Beckett sat side by side propped against the headboard with Castle just staring into space.

Determined to lighten the mood, Beckett got up and went to the kitchen. She came back hiding something behind her back. "You need a new look," she said. Pulling a can of whipped cream from behind her back, she sprayed a whipped cream mustache and beard on Castle's face. Sitting back, she gave him a thoughtful look. "I don't think I like it," and licked the cream off his face.

Getting into the spirit of the game, Castle sprayed new eyebrows and spit curls on her face, then proceeded to remove them as well. They took turns playing baby bird, filling each others' mouths with sweetness and sharing it with kisses. Finally the game heated up with Castle drawing deeply on Beckett's lips and she on his. The cream forgotten, they feasted on each other, until with satisfaction came sweet slumber.

A/N I admit to fudging just a little here. The nearest eco-burial sites to the Hamptons would still be quite a drive. The bus driver might have made it to one in South Jersey within my time frame, but he would have had to floor it. The murder is solved and Pi has been sent lovingly on his way. There will be one more short chapter addressing where Alexis goes from here. After that I'll be starting Growth II with a new murder and a new problem for the Castle family. It will be the same universe and I hope you'll stay with me.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Castle's face was sticky. His hair was sticky and so was his pillow. "I need a shower," he muttered, getting to his feet. He looked down at Beckett, her hair splayed out, full of white flecks, and love washed over him. How could anyone be such a mess and look so perfect at the same time?

Beckett stretched and opened her eyes, "Castle?"

"Just catching a shower, wanna come?"

Beckett rubbed her eyes. "I'll be there in a minute."

Beckett joined Castle to find him making vigorous use of a loofah. "This stuff is stubborn," Castle told her. "Maybe they should repackage it as spray adhesive."

"Let me help," Beckett suggested, taking the sponge.

"Only if you let me help you first," Castle said, grabbing it back.

Castle scrubbed all the white he could find off Beckett and she returned the favor, working up an impressive lather of spicy shampoo to get the goo out of his hair. Castle picked up the cherry shampoo to do the same for Beckett. As he bent over her, he inhaled the fragrance and couldn't resist kissing the hollow of her newly clean neck. Beckett arched against his body, arousing him that much more. Castle turned her toward him to further sample the taste of her damp skin, the scent of cherries overwhelming his senses. He pulled her tightly against him and she could feel his excitement rising. He took her with him. Under the pounding water they searched and found more and more, filling each other, until the explosion washed over them with the water and they rested still entwined against the shower wall.

Wrapped in towels and still slightly wobbly, they made their way back to the bedroom, where Castle took in the hopelessly un-makeable bed. "I think it's laundry time," He commented.

Beckett smirked, "Try saying that without the smile." Castle.

After they dressed, Castle did bundle up the sheets to put in the washer. He met Alexis taking a load of clothes out of the dryer. "You're getting started early," he observed.

"I've got things to do," Alexis told him, taking her basket of clothes upstairs.

Castle started coffee and was joined by Beckett, who sat at the counter.

"Did I hear Alexis?" she asked.

"Yeah, "Castle answered. "She just finished her laundry at," Castle looked at his watch, "seven thirty A.M. She's not usually that much of a morning person. I wonder what that's all about."

"She could just be out of clothes, Castle," Beckett suggested. "She didn't bring that many with her."

Castle shook his head. "She still had a lot here. There wasn't room for all her stuff in the apartment. She's thinking about something."

As if in answer to the question, Alexis came down the stairs carrying two small suitcases.

"Where are you going?" Castle asked.

Alexis left the cases by the door and took Castle's hands. "Dad," I'm going back to the apartment. "I've been on my own and I can't go back to being a little girl again."

"What are you going to do? You can't afford even that place by yourself."

"Buttons Dutton is going to move in with me. We'll share expenses."

"And Pi's things?"

"He didn't have many things. "I'm going to put them in storage for his parents."

"Alexis," Castle asked, "is there anything I can do to make this easier for you?"

Alexis gave a slightly impish smile. "Dad, you know that couch you have in storage? I think I could really use that."

Castle leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Done!"

Alexis stood on tiptoe, putting her arms around her father's neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Bye Dad, bye Kate," she said, picked up her bags and left the loft.

Castle stood rooted to the spot until Beckett came and wrapped him in her comforting embrace. Castle held on tight to his lifeline and his love.

Finis

A/N Unless an emergency intervenes, I should be able to put up the first chapter of Growth II tomorrow. I thank all of you for the reviews. They really keep me going.


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